McHenry congratulates new Trump budget director

Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry released the following statement upon Senate confirmation of Congressman Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina as the director of the Office of Management and Budget:

“Congratulations to my good friend Mick Mulvaney on his confirmation as the Director of OMB. Mick is just the person we need at OMB: smart, principled, and brutally honest. It is long past time the federal government seriously addressed the challenges facing our federal budget and Mick is the right person to lead those efforts. While he will be missed in the House, I join with the rest of my colleagues in wishing Mick the best as he moves into his new role," said McHenry.

The Senate's confirmaton of President Donald Trump's pick to run the White House budget office was seen as giving the Republicans' tea party wing a voice in the Cabinet.

Mulvaney, R-S.C., squeaked through on a 51-49 vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Mulvaney's confirmation promises to accelerate work on Trump's upcoming budget plan, which is overdue. That's typical at the beginning of an administration.

Mulvaney brings strong conservative credentials to the job, and he's likely to seek big cuts to longtime GOP targets such as the EPA and other domestic programs whose budgets are set each year by Congress.

The House Freedom Caucus, a group of the most conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill, issued a statement saying that the president's pick of Mulvaney "sends a strong message that the Trump administration is serious about tackling our national debt."